Welcome to Interpersonal Communication. This class is an
introduction to the study of interpersonal behavior. The course is aimed
to help the student develop flexibility and competence in using communication
skills to enhance everyday relationships.

Because of the oral nature of the skills portion of the course, it is
important to note that each student is
required to attend class on campus four times as indicated in the schedule of
classes. The other four class meetings will be on Tuesdays from
6:30-9:30 August 27th; October 8th; November 12th; December 10th.

This is a distance learning course. You must complete all course
requirements in their appropriate sequence and in a timely fashion. Please
check into the online classroom frequently (at least twice weekly) and
adhere to the due dates and other instructions posted there in the course
calendar and announcements.

Blackboard Online Class Room

Http://pgcconline.blackboard .com
is the Blackboard (BB) online classroom web site. When you browse to it
you will find instructions about how to gain entry into the online course(s) for
which you have registered. Once you have an account I will email you
further instructions.

Once you have entered the Blackboard online classroom for Sph 109, please
explore the various icons that allow you to read announcements, use the chat
room, view the course calendar, take quizzes, see grades, view and post messages
to the discussion board, use email and consult with other materials placed there
by your instructor.

In the online classroom click the Tools button to find a manual explaining
the various functionalities of Blackboard. Please look it over and consult
it when you have questions about how to use the various Blackboard elements.
It is your responsibility to take this first week of class to quickly learn how
to navigate the Blackboard classroom.

Blackboard Elements

Here is some preliminary information about some of the BB elements you will
be using:

Quizzes

Scheduled, required quizzes are taken on-line and must be completed during
their respective windows of availability (see the calendar). If taken
after the close date, they will not be counted. Quizzes are normally
available to be taken anytime over a week as indicated in the calendar.

Quizzes consist of multiple choice questions which are based on the reading
assignments and/or material covered during the on-campus class sessions.
Once the last date for taking a units' quiz has passed, no make up quizzes will
be given for that module. Quiz grades are cumulatively added throughout
the semester. I will drop the lowest quiz grade for the semester

Course Units (found in the
Assignments area)

The course is divided into units. Go to the Assignments Button in BB to
view them. Each unit has an introductory remarks for the unit; the
assignments will be indicating: the reading; the activity to be completed;
the discussion board question/s to be discussed; and the quiz for that unit.

Please note that you must budget your time wisely. Your best strategy
will be to plan to start the course promptly, and meet all the assignment
deadlines from the very beginning of the semester. That way if you are
sick or have an emergency later in the semester you will not have a problem.

Discussion Board

Participation in discussions is required and will be graded. Their
purpose is to stimulate study and discussion of the course material in each
module. I have established the following rules and guidelines for
participation in the discussions:

Students must make at least two kinds of contributions to each discussion
board topic posted by the instructor, i.e., responses to the instructor's
posting and responses to the messages of some of your classmates.

**To be eligible for full credit for participation, a student must make
contributions prior to the closing date for the forum as indicated in the
Blackboard course calendar.

**Points for discussion are assigned for both responding to my discussion
questions, and responding to classmates' comments.

**The chat place is just for you to be able to contact other students in the
class.

Course features

Text readings

Quizzes over each major unit.

Activities for each unit to be completed and
written about in the Discussion Board

Written assignments: Oral family Interview
Paper; Final Research Project

Attendance at the five on-campus meetings.

Activities conducted at the on-campus meetings.

Oral Skills test: Done in-person at the 5th
class meeting on December 10th..